Maynardiacs! A Closer Look At The Cal QBs in 2011

TwistNHook:  This is always the question that the fans look forward to the most.  Who is going to be the QB?  We've had uneven QB play the last few years.  What can we expect out of new QB Zach Maynard this season?  If he suffers an injury, what can expect out of his back ups Allan Bridgford and Brock Mansion?  

LeonPowe:  I think its going to be tough for any of us to make a good prediction about Maynard until we've seen him actually throw some balls, get under center or take a hit or two. It's not like any other starter where we have at least last years play (even as a back up) to base a prediction off of. I do think if he can make the easy throws, protect the ball from turnovers and get it to Jones and Allen in space we'll have already won. Anything he can create with his legs (or arm) will be gravy. I think cal fans would now be happy with s game managing QB who didn't lose games - but put the defense in s position to win games.

HydroTech:  I'm not really of the opinion that the Cal offense needs high level QB play to be great.  Certainly, it helps.  But if you have an offense that can run the ball pretty dominantly, and you have a QB who can complete as low as 60% of his passes, I think the offense will be fine.  And I think Maynard can do that.  

Kodiak:  I'd love to see Mansion on the field a lot this year...holding for extra points.  I think you could run a really nice fake with him on some type of read-option.

TwistNHook: How weird is it to not have Kevin Riley on this team?  He always seemed to be part of some controversy.  He seemed like an incredibly nice guy with very odd luck.  Wherever he went, something crazy followed.  

Berkelium97:  Poor Kevin Riley.  He started to blossom last season (while the O-line withered away) and would have had a respectable set of stats had he finished the season.  He would not have been an Aaron Rodgers, but I am sure he would have been a better QB if Tedford were the full-time quarterbacks coach instead of Ludwig.  Thankfully, we have a pair of promising, young, Tedford-coached QBs who will see playing time this season: Maynard and Bridgford (assuming Bridge takes the #2 spot, which sounds more and more likely).

We are in a fortunate position where we will be able to see Bridgford, Mansion, and maybe even Hinder get considerable playing time early on in the season against Presbyterian.  Bridge and Mansion might each see about a quarter of playing time, assuming we put the game away by halftime.

Bridgford apparently has been putting considerable work into his mechanics after coming back from that shoulder surgery.  I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in a live game (even if it is against one of the worst teams in all of D-1A football.  It will be interesting to see how Maynard performs down the stretch because Bridgford could conceivably win the starting role next season or even this season if Maynard flops (which seems highly unlikely following Tedford's comments).

Bridgford has since shortened his motion and his release has become notable quicker this fall than it was in the spring. 

"I think that ever since the first day that I came back throwing, I've felt the same," Bridgford said. "I haven't really lost what I used to throw, but I feel like my mechanics are getting better. There's definitely, way back when, in May of last year, when I first came back, throwing, there was definitely a mental block, like, 'Is this one going to hurt?' It was a pretty traumatic thing I went through, when I hurt my shoulder first, but it feels great now. That's all in the past. I never think about it anymore. Everything about my game has gotten a lot quicker now that I've gone through spring ball and had reps under fire there. I feel like, in camp right now, I've been getting the ball out really quick, and I'm not taking any sacks, no turnovers, nothing like that. Everything's been a lot quicker, including my motion." 

OhioBear:  I liked Kevin Riley and appreciated his effort for the program.  But I am excited that we are turning the page on the Kevin Riley era and moving forward with our next set of quarterbacks.